SOCCER NEWSCRISTIANO RONALDO says he is still to make a firm decision on his future at Manchester United, despite last week's meeting with Alex Ferguson which led to the Manchester United manager saying the winger would not be leaving Old Trafford for Real Madrid.
The Portuguese winger, currently on holiday in California and out of action until October after undergoing knee surgery this month, added that any decision made would not be based on money. "I've had hundreds of questions about Manchester United and Real Madrid," he told ESPN. "What do you want me to say? That I'm going or I'm staying? I don't know about the future, only God knows it. I can't say any more. Great players are always hounded by great clubs. It's a normal situation. I have always been hounded, not only this year."
Real Madrid are reportedly willing to offer Ronaldo a contract worth up to €12.6 million per season, while United's chief executive, David Gill, is adamant that the player, who signed a new contract 18 months ago, will not receive a pay rise should he stay at United. But Ronaldo deflected suggestions that the clubs' contrasting stances would determine his decision and maintained that he was still "happy" at United.
"I want to be happy regardless of where I play," he added. "I can be happy everywhere, if I am with people I like, if I am animated, motivated. Am I motivated to continue at United? I am always motivated. I am ambitious and I want to always improve. I don't know the future but I will be motivated."
Real's president Ramon Calderon insisted yesterday that Ronaldo remains his club's main target, and that United were trying to bump his price up. "This type (of transfer) is hard but we're going to go for it all the same," he said.
The uncertainty surrounding Frank Lampard's immediate future at Chelsea will drag into next month after the England midfielder was included in the club's squad which departed yesterday for a two-week pre-season tour of China, Malaysia and Russia.
Didier Drogba was the most notable absentee from an almost full-strength first-team party that left London for Guangzhou for the five-match tour, with the Ivorian to continue his rehabilitation from a knee injury at the club's Cobham training base. Lampard's involvement will frustrate Internazionale, who retain hope that they can prise the player from Stamford Bridge in time for the new season, with negotiations between Chelsea and the 30-year-old over a new contract still at an impasse.
Lampard has 12 months to run on his current deal and Luiz Felipe Scolari, backed by the club's hierarchy, intends to hold him to that contract despite the danger of losing him under the Bosman ruling next summer if new terms cannot be agreed.
That appears unlikely with neither party willing to soften their stance - Lampard is seeking a five-year deal, with Chelsea willing to offer him only four years. Two bids from the Italian club have been rejected to date with the Inter president, Massimo Moratti, insistent that "patience" would be needed to conclude any transfer.
It remains to be seen whether Drogba, too, has a part to play under Scolari despite the manager's glowing tribute to the striker. Drogba has remained non-committal over whether he intends to remain at Stamford Bridge, though neither Barcelona's nor Milan's tentative interest in his signature has prompted a formal offer.
His agent, Etienne Mendy, has suggested that the player will wait until the end of the month to see if any bids are forthcoming before deciding whether to commit his future to the Londoners, though any sale would leave Chelsea understrength up front with Salomon Kalou expected to be included in the Ivory Coast's Olympics squad. Nicolas Anelka is the only out-and-out forward in their pre-season travelling ranks.
Arsene Wenger will today meet Emmanuel Adebayor for the first time since the forward indicated he might leave Arsenal. The manager will make it clear to the Togo international that the club will not stretch their wage structure to keep him. Adebayor continues to be linked with a move to either Milan or Barcelona and it has been suggested that only a significant increase to his €44,000-a-week salary could persuade him to say no to the European giants. But that, Wenger insists, is out of the question.
"I am always ready to fight to get my players the maximum wages, but they have to respect we have a wage structure and will not break it," said the Frenchman. "All I know is I want to keep him here. I am confident I will."
He should find out for sure at London Colney when the Arsenal squad begin pre-season training this afternoon before a tour to Hungry and Austria. Among those missing from last season will be Mathieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb. The latter joined Barcelona last week and yesterday hinted that Cesc Fabregas might join him at the club where he started out as a youth player.
"He loves this club. Who knows if in the future he'll come back to Barca?" said Hleb.
There are no suggestions that the Spaniard will leave any time soon, so Wenger can focus on the danger of losing Adebayor. The 24-year-old, who scored 30 goals last season, has publicly said Arsenal should consider cashing in on him - he cost €5.3 million from Monaco 18 months ago and has already been the subject of a €30 million bid from Barcelona as well as continuing inquiries from Milan - and privately is believed to want a salary closer to €126,000 a week to stay at the Emirates.
"I don't want to enter into speculation as I don't know what has gone on," said Wenger. "It is difficult to say what is true. A lot of it has been denied; he denies 99 per cent of it. But I don't know."
Arsenal play the Hungarian side Szombathelyi Haladas tomorrow before facing Burgenland of Austria in seven days' time when the majority of the squad will have reconvened. They then meet Stuttgart on July 30th before returning to London for the Emirates Cup, which begins on August 2nd.
By then Wenger hopes to have completed further signings and he has not ruled out moving for Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn and Gareth Barry from Aston Villa. "We are in the market and if there is a good opportunity we will take it," he said. "One certainly, two maximum."
Everton's manager, David Moyes, is looking to make as many as six signings before the transfer window closes next month. Everton's director, Keith Wyness, confirmed the team's interest in the Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Moutinho.
Guardian Service
